Window mop



Jan 22 C- WOODS wINnow Mop Filed April 7v 1960 INVENToA C )fR/ W0 005MQ/wh United States Patent O 3,074,095 WINDOW MOP Cyril Woods, 152Linwood Ave., Bogota, NJ. Filed Apr. 7, 1960, Ser. No. 20,649 1 Claim.(Cl. 15-220) This invention relates to a cleaning device, and refersmore particularly, to a cleaning device such as a window mop especiallysuitable for cleaning double-hung parallel sliding windows, picturewindows, and other windows or areas normally able to be cleaned onlywith difficulty.

It is well known that cleaning certain portions of doublehung parallelsliding windows have since their inception caused housewives and othersa great deal of difficulty. In the normal double-hung vertically slidingwindow the outside of the lower window frame (which in the usual case isthe inside siding frame) is practically impossible to clean from insidethe building. Everyone has, of course, from time to time noticedhousewives sitting on window ledges with the major portions of theirbody extended outwardly from the building, and having great difiicultyin hanging on to the building with one hand and attempting to clean theoutside of the window with the other hand. This is indeed a dangerouspractice.

It should also be noted that with prior art cleaning devices greatdiiiiculty is also encountered in attempting to clean the exteriors ofiixed or picture windows, particularly when the windows are located anydistance from the ground.

Prior art hand sponges, straight-handled window brushes and the like, donot effectively clean all portions of double-hung windows and do noteliminate the necessity for the dangerous practice of sitting on windowledges on the exterior of the building. Prior art squeegees can beinserted between the two sections of double-hung windows only with greatdiliiculty. The necessity of wiping the squeegee between each stroke,and of cleaning a substantial area of glass before it dries, therefore,becomes virtually impossible with prior art devices.

The present invention -allows all portions of doublehung windows to becleaned from inside the building, and makes this dangerous practice ofsitting on window ledges while cleaning windows entirely unnecessary.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cleaning device whichallows for the easy cleaning and washing of all portions of both sidesof a double-hung parallel sliding window from within the buildingwithout the necessity of sitting on the window ledge.

Another object is to provide a cleaning device for the easy cleaning andwashing of the exterior side of fixed or picture windows.

A further object is to provide an easily manufactured, and inexpensivecleaning device which is easily operated for effectively cleaning allportions of various type windows.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in thecourse of the following specification.

The objects of the present invention may be realized through theprovision of a cleaning device having a cleaning portion connected to aresilient handle in such a manner that the cleaning portion can rotatewith respect to the handle and be maintained at against the window eventhough the angle between the handle and plane of the window varies. Thisconstruction enables the entire cleaning device to .be utilized in thenarrow space between double-hung sliding windows by allowing easymanipulation of the device with the cleaning portion maintained atagainst the window. An extension handle permits cleaning the exteriorside of xed or picture windows that are so high above ground level as tobe reached only with diiculty.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the yaccompanying drawingshowing, by way of example, a preferred embodiment of the inventiveidea.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a cleaning device of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of a cleaning device of the presentinvention taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE l;

FIGURE 3 shows a cleaning device of the present invention in operativeuse between double-hung parallel sliding windows;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken along line 4 4 ofFIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of a cleaning device of the present invention asused in the lower corner of a window.

The cleaning device 10 of the present invention is shown in front viewin FIGURE l and in cross-section in FIGURE 2, and comprises a cleaningportion 11 which comprises a mophead 12 or the like having an elasticperiphery 13; a plate 14, a hinge 15, and an elongated handle comprisinga resilient handle strip 16 and a handle plate 16a.

The cleaning portion 11 comprises a mophead 12 which may be made out offabric, sponge material, rubber, soft plastics or the like. The mophead12 which may be of the strand type has an elastic edge 13 which engagesthe plate 14 and which allows cleaning portion 11 to be snugly fittedand secured in position on plate 14. Thus the cleaning portion 11 willentirely cover one side of plate 14, and may be easily removed.

Plate 14 is preferably a thin rigid rectangular metal plate havingslightly rounded corners. The corners are so rounded as to prevent wearby abrasion to the cleaning portion 11, but are rounded only slightly sothat they will t easily into the window frame corners for efficientcleaning.

The elongated handle has a handle plate 16a connected to plate 14 byhinge 15 in the vicinity of and substantially along the entire length ofan edge of plate 14, on the side of plate 14 opposite to that which iscovered by cleaning portion 11. The hinge 15 is located at or near anedge of plate 14 because this construction allows adequate pressure tobe brought to bear on the top edge and corners of plate 14 and cleaningportion 11 when the cleaning device 10` is brought into contact with awindow pane or other surface to be cleaned. The hinge 15 thus permitsthe cleaning portion 11 to be kept flat against the window regardless ofwhether the cleaning device 10 is to be operated from above, below, oron the same level with the surface which is being cleaned. The handleplate 16a facilitates the connection of the handle to the plate 14 bymeans of hinge 15. Thus the handle may be easily operated in the areabetween doublehung windows. The handle plate 16a has a bend 17 at apoint a distance from hinge 15' approximately equal to the width ofplate 14, so that the bend is aligned approximately with the lower edgeof mophead 12. This enables the plate 14 to lie ilat against the windowalthough the resilient handle strip 16 bends as best seen in FIGURE 4.

The manner of use and operation of the cleaning device 10 of the presentinvention is as follows:

Whenever necessary a new cleaning or washing mop head 12. may be placedon plate 14. The mophead 124 may be utilized dry or saturated with wateror other cleaning liuid. The manner of using the cleaning device 10 willbe illustrated by describing its use in cleaning the exterior portion ofa window pane of the inside frame of a double-hung vertically slidingwindow.

plate 16a is hinged to the plate 14, the handle plate 16a and plate 14will lie in substantially one plane when the handle strip 16 is heldvertically, thus allowing the cleaning device 1t) to be easily placedbetween the doublehung window frames. The operator is then free to move.

the cleaning device against the window,` and since the handle is hingedto the top of the cleaning portion 11, the cleaning portion 11 may bemaintained flat against the window even up to the extreme top of thewindow pane. Thus, since the hinge 15 is at the top of plate 14,cleaning portion 11 may be utilized at the very edge and corners of thewindow pane. The resilient handle strip 16 and the handle plate 16a withthe bend 17, allow pressure to be maintained on the cleaning portion 1lagainst the window pane even though there is very little space betweenthe double-hung window frames. That this is the case may be clearly seenin FGURE 4, wherein the bend 17 may be seen to allow for a forcecomponent to be exerted normal to the window pane although the majorportion of the handle is substantially parallel to the window. After thedirt has been removed from the window, the dirty mophead is removed andreplaced with a clean mophead for polishing the window in the mannerindicated above.

As is indicated in FIGURE 5, device 10' may also be used to clean lowerportions and edges of window panes from above or below by having thehandle plate 16a make an obtuse angle with the plane of the plate 14rather than an acute angle as shown in FIGURES 2 and 4.

Among the advantages of the cleaning device of the present invention arethe following: the cleaning device can be utilized in a narrow spacebetween double-hung parallel sliding window frames with the operatorremaining within the building; it may be used for cleaning fixedwindows, picture windows or Casement windows and the like which are nototherwise easily reached for cleaning; and the device of the presentinvention is inexpensive and easy to manufacture and easily andetticiently operated.

It is apparent that the described example is capable of many variationsand modifications within the scope of the present invention. All suchvariations and modiiications are to be included within the scope of thepresent invention.

What is claimed is:

A window mop, comprising in combination with a substantially rectangularthin plate with rounded corners, and a cleaning portion having a mopheadand an elastic edge enclosing the edges of said plate and mounting saidmophead upon one side of said plate; an elongated hinge carried by saidplate and located adjacent and parallel to one of the edges of saidplate, said hinge extending substantially the entire length of said oneedge, a substantially at three-sided handle plate swiugably connectedalong one side with said hinge along the entire length of the hinge, theother sides of said handle plate forming an apex on said handle plateopposite said swiugably connected side, a portion of said handle plateadjacent the apex thereof being bent with respect to the plane of theother portion of said handle plate, and an elongated resilient handlestrip rmly connected at one end to the bent portion of said handleplate.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,500,006 Sherman July l, 1924 1,973,708 Heller Sept. 18, 193A'r2,577,496 Wolter Dec. 4, 1951 2,649,600 Loveland Aug. 25, 1953 FOREIGNPATENTS 107,487 Great Britain Sept. 23, 1916 614,552 Germany June 21,1935

